Good Governance and anti-corruption in Tunisia
The project “Good Governance and Anti-Corruption” supported the Tunisian government to improve the citizen-state relationship, governance efficiency and transparency, and inclusiveness and opportunities for marginalised groups.A strategic and sustainable response to corruption is public integrity. Integrity is one of the key pillars of political, economic and social structures and thus essential to the economic and social well-being and prosperity of individuals and societies as a whole.
With the financial support of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, the OECD implemented this project in close cooperation with its Tunisian counterparts from 2017 until 2020.
Actions
Citizens
Citizen charters
Tunisian citizens perceive corruption as the 3rd main problem in the country after unemployment and the management of the economy, but 59% of Tunisians believe they can make a difference in the fight against corruption.
The OECD supported Tunisian authorities to introduce citizen charters – a simple yet powerful accountability tool at the interface between citizens and service providers.
The Tunisian government issued a decree that made the adoption of citizen charters mandatory for all public authorities in direct contact with the public (Decree No. 2018-1067 of 25 December 2018) and a circular (Circular 17 of 5 August 2019) presenting the methodology to develop citizen charters.
The project supported the development, implementation and monitoring of citizen charters for six pilot services. |
2/3 |
65 |
Every 2 days |
29 |
More than 2 times |
of commitments implemented after less than 1 year |
CSOs involved in the development and monitoring of citizen charter commitments |
Waste collection in Tozeur takes place every 2 days, compared to every 4-5 days previously |
Waiting time for each of the 29 services of the Sahloul hospital in Sousse displayed in the waiting hall |
Increase in local tax collection by the municipality of Béja in 2019 compared to 2018 |
Public Administration
Public Administration
80 |
647 |
166 |
110 |
124 |
Heads of governance benefited from a capacity building programme |
Public institutions benefit from guidelines on the implementation of the 2016 ATI Law |
Audit reports were subject to a proximity follow up since 2017 |
Inspectors benefited from a capacity building programme (50% of Tunisia’s inspectors) |
Controllers benefited from a capacity building programme (80% of Tunisia’s controllers) |
Business enabling environment
A business-enabling environment
Access to public contracts |
Risk management in public procurement |
SMEs represent an estimated 90% of Tunisian companies and 65% of employment, but only 17% of public contracts are awarded to SMEs. A number of barriers limit SME’s access to procurement opportunities and it has been found that e-procurement is an effective tool to alleviate these barriers in procurement access. The OECD supported the High Authority for Public Procurement (HAICOP) to strengthen the uptake of Tunisia’s e-procurement platform TUNEPS through continuous capacity building for public buyers and suppliers, focusing in particular on SMEs owned by women and youth. |
An estimated 25% of the volume of public contracts is lost by the State to corruption. To reduce vulnerabilities to corruption, the OECD supported HAICOP in the development of a risk management strategy for public procurement. Five large-scale public buyers were accompanied in the implementation of this strategy and the development of the necessary tailored risk management tools. |
Guides on public procurement |
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Access to coaching in the post-creation phase |
Access to justice services |
SMEs are the backbone of Tunisia’s economy but 80% of SMEs in Tunisia fail in the five first years after creation, compared to 50% internationally. Therefore, the OECD assisted the Bank Financing Small and Medium Enterprises (BFPME) to create a team of “post-creation” coaches in Tunis and its 24 regional offices, building their capacities to support SMEs overcoming the challenges of the early development stages. |
The OECD provided capacity building to the reception personnel of all the 15 chambers of the Administrative Tribunal to improve information and orientation of citizens and SMEs.
Furthermore, the project helped to unify the procedures to file an appeal (in arabic) and to apply for legal aid (in arabic) at the Administrative Tribunal. Citizens and SMEs have now an official document at their disposal, which describes the necessary steps and required documents to file an appeal and to apply for legal aid, in a simple and easy-accessible language. |
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|
100 |
200 |
34 |
42 |
SMEs trained on the use of the e-procurement platform TUNEPS
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public officials trained on applying risk management in public procurement |
BFPME staff members trained to coach SMEs in the post-creation phase |
reception officers of the 15 chambers of the Administrative Tribunal were trained in communication and conflict resolution |
Funded by
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For more information on the project, please contact:
Amira Tlili (amira.tlili@oecd.org)
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